Coronavirus - Australia
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Sydney Airport is a shit fight. Apparently it's the fault of "inexperienced travellers" and "close contact rules".
Perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: The theatre of security and these ridiculous covid rules in 2022.
so, lucky enough to travel last week. Relatively pain free in the end. "restrictions" at our destination were not overly tough to navigate, and in the end mainly lip service.
Getting back in to Aus not too bad, had to download an app, but that was it. Everything scanned in so data input minimal.
And both ways everything taken care of at time of check-in, so customs was the same old automatic e-gates.Way out Brisbane International Terminal still not at 100% open inside, but understandable when there was only 13 flights a day.
Yep, everything was sweet, right up until coming back through Sydney airport. Hooooly fuck. I was there about 3 weeks back and it was bad then. This was worse. Way worse.
Starters. The domestic transfer desk at the International Airport? closed. Still sending people down there, but only to make their way to the domestic terminal on the bus. Leaving the poor driver to try and sort out international travelers, their luggage, and various levels of English. predictable shitfight.
Get to the terminals and both are just a sea of people. Two Qantas staff to man the whole front, including check in kiosks and bad drop and directing people.
4 scanners open to do the whole fucking terminal, so the line was all the way around the terminal.Alan Joyce having a pop at travellers is a fucking joke.
Both the airlines and the airports sacked all their fucking staff. Now they are trying to re-open with inadequate staffing levels of inexperienced people (i have heard horror stories about how bad the ground crews are) and just expecting to cover it all. Guess what guys, not even fucking close. Sydney airport is an embarrassment to the Country at the moment. We want and expect tourists to come here, but this is a shithouse first impression.Also, on Security. Am I the only one who finds it ridiculous the levels we go to when screening every single person because of one very high profile, and some less high profile incidents 20 years ago?
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@mariner4life But did you find time to watch the Chiefs/Blues game?
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@tim said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@mariner4life But did you find time to watch the Chiefs/Blues game?
what game? As far as i am aware the comp went on holidays too
at least, one squad appeared to
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I'm supposed to be on a regional flight with my 11 month old baby tomorrow. Originally my wife was accompanying us, but COVID has ripped through our house and she will still be isolating. Thanks to the NSW close contact rules we are allowed out as we both have recovered in the last 14 days.
It's the first flight with the baby. I'm doing it on my own. And the airport is apparently an apocalypse. Having real second thoughts now, and eyeing off the 5 hour drive down the coast instead...
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@barbarian said in Coronavirus - Australia:
I'm supposed to be on a regional flight with my 11 month old baby tomorrow. Originally my wife was accompanying us, but COVID has ripped through our house and she will still be isolating. Thanks to the NSW close contact rules we are allowed out as we both have recovered in the last 14 days.
It's the first flight with the baby. I'm doing it on my own. And the airport is apparently an apocalypse. Having real second thoughts now, and eyeing off the 5 hour drive down the coast instead...
good chance your flight will be delayed 5 hours anyway...
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Also, on Security. Am I the only one who finds it ridiculous the levels we go to when screening every single person because of one very high profile, and some less high profile incidents 20 years ago?
No. No, you definitely are not. It gives me the shits every time... especially when there have been SOOO many tests proving that the "Security" is fucking ineffective anyway.
And I always get to fuming that it's not just that it was one very high profile incident 20 years ago. It's that they are testing against somebody doing exactly the same thing again. That incident was so successful because it was reasonably innovative.
Then some fella thought of making a "shoe bomb" - and suddenly we're all taking our shoes off to go through Security.
Guess what... the next big event is going to be another new idea... and not prevented by checking for copycat terrorists.The worst part for me is always re-boarding the plane at whatever airport I stopped at halfway from UK-NZ. By then, I've already been travelling for god-knows how many hours. I'm probably more than a little inebriated. And then I have to go through some nonsense security to board my 2nd plane. "Yes, sure, I'll take my laptop out of my bag, put it all aside for some reason, great - yes, you're doing a great job. Now, please pass me those 2 glass
weapons, whoops, no... sorry... misspoke - bottles, to take onboard with me? Cheers." -
@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Also, on Security. Am I the only one who finds it ridiculous the levels we go to when screening every single person because of one very high profile, and some less high profile incidents 20 years ago?
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Sydney Airport is a shit fight. Apparently it's the fault of "inexperienced travellers" and "close contact rules".
Perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: The theatre of security and these ridiculous covid rules in 2022.
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I keep forgetting this is a thing still. Why we ned to wear a mask inside an airport terminal is beyond my meagre intellect, but it's a good time to check out why:
~20% of the population has had a confirmed case, of which 0.13% have died...
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
I keep forgetting this is a thing still. Why we ned to wear a mask inside an airport terminal is beyond my meagre intellect, but it's a good time to check out why:
~20% of the population has had a confirmed case, of which 0.13% have died...
air travel is the last hold out isn't it?
other than that, Covid is done in Australia.
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
I keep forgetting this is a thing still. Why we ned to wear a mask inside an airport terminal is beyond my meagre intellect, but it's a good time to check out why:
~20% of the population has had a confirmed case, of which 0.13% have died...
air travel is the last hold out isn't it?
other than that, Covid is done in Australia.
think each state is still different, even with the recent roll back in VIC and NSW, in NSW public transport (even trains) masks are still a thing
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@bayimports said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
I keep forgetting this is a thing still. Why we ned to wear a mask inside an airport terminal is beyond my meagre intellect, but it's a good time to check out why:
~20% of the population has had a confirmed case, of which 0.13% have died...
air travel is the last hold out isn't it?
other than that, Covid is done in Australia.
think each state is still different, even with the recent roll back in VIC and NSW, in NSW public transport (even trains) masks are still a thing
same in Vic, and i honestly dont mind, everything else pretty much back to normal
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The great irony is air travel hasn't been a spreader event.
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@antipodean but is that possibly, at least in a small way, effected by the fact it was pretty much the first place they made masks compulsory
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@Kiwiwomble No, not really. Masks haven't prevented transmission elsewhere. What works on planes is hospital grade filters in the aircon.
edit - I certainly recall flying during covid when it wasn't mandatory.
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@antipodean i definitely dont, thought it came in very quick
theories on how plan travel has avoided becoming a mass spread event if not masks?
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@Kiwiwomble said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean i definitely dont, thought it came in very quick
theories on how plan travel has avoided becoming a mass spread event if not masks?
I think I've answered that.
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@antipodean apologies, i assumed there would be more to it